Theodotus of Ancyra
THEODOTUS OF ANCYRA
Bishop of Ancyra and an early friend of nestorius;d. c. 446. He exposed Nestorius's heretical teaching at the Council of ephesus; served as a member of the delegation sent to the Emperor theodosius ii by the Council; and was excommunicated by the Antiochene bishops in their Synod of Tarsus for supporting cyril of alexandria. Nothing further is known of his life. Four of his sermons are preserved in the acts of the Council of Ephesus: two homilies on the Nativity, a third against Nestorius, and a fourth on the feast of the lights that testifies to the celebration of the Purification at the beginning of the 5th century. He also wrote a commentary on the Symbol of Nicaea in which he maintains that Nestorius ideas were already condemned by that Council. A lost work of six books against Nestorius was cited at the Council of Nicaea III in 787. The authenticity of a homily on the Nativity and a sermon on the Theotokos has been challenged.
Bibliography: Patrologia Graeca, ed. j. p. migne, 161 vol. (Paris 1857–66) 77:13071432. Acta conciliorum oecumenicorum, (Berlin 1914–) 1.1.2:7190. g. bardenhewer, Geschichte der altkirchlichen Literatur, 5 v. (Freiburg 1913–32) 4:197200. g. bardy, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, ed. a. vacant et al., 15 v. (Paris 1903–50) 15.1: 328330.
[p. t. camelot]